Quick answer
Generous men attract crowds, and the crowd is not always about the man. The verse observes what gifts buy.
Read both lines
The first line describes a normal feature of an ancient patronage economy, where a generous noble was a genuine source of protection and people sought his face. The second line then widens it past the nobility to every man, which is where the sting lands: the pattern is not about rank, it is about giving, and anyone who gives becomes surrounded. Nothing here condemns generosity, and the chapter will commend it strongly at verse 17. What the verse offers is a way of reading your own popularity honestly, since a generous person is the last one positioned to know which friendships would survive the generosity stopping. That is not a reason to stop giving. It is a reason not to mistake a crowd for a measurement of anything.
Related: Proverbs 19:4 · Proverbs 18:16 · Proverbs 17:8
New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. Full copyright information. Scripture provided by API.Bible.
Go Deeper
If this verse has been used to put weight on you that it was never carrying, ask about it directly.